Wet leaves smell like aguapanela (with lime) and a walk in the woods after rain. There is a soft mouthfeel and really nice caramelized sweetness like a grade “A” Fancy maple syrup (the very light one) in the body that balances the light astringency that takes over on the back end. What makes this one unique is the slightly wild, wooded element and the specter of smoked herbs amidst the softer, sweeter aspects. The immediate aftertaste is somewhat cidery and a little medicinal, but the lingering taste is akin to artificial sweetener or splenda. Unfortunate.

Subsequent steepages bring out aromas of cooked stone fruit and fresh wild mushrooms (the ones that you really want to eat). Starts to taste more like that puerh funk I’ve been waiting for. Roasted seaweed and sour prune paste. Still very sweet but still very splenda. I forgot the term for the flavor of the air that comes up from the throat. Sticky and awesome.

Very accessible though maybe a bit too easy for me. When I reach for puerh I want more of a challenge and if not for the faint smokiness, which is actually really nice, this would possibly be a fairly shallow experience. Use it to convert someone who swears they hate puerh. Say it’s a semi-fermented Yunnan green and they’ll love it ; )